Italiano
Monkfish fillets wrapped in bacon with pan-fried potatoes and green beans
A distinct and aromatic fish entrée which we pair with an Appius 2013 San Michele Appiano, a complex and creamy white wine from Alto Adige.
Ingredients for 4 people:
A 1.2kg slab of monkfish, 200g thinly sliced bacon, 4 medium-sized yellow potatoes, 200g green beans, 800g fish-flavored fumet, 60g extra-virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 thyme sprig, 1 sage sprig, ground allspice* and Cervia salt.
Directions:
Boil the green beans in abundant salted water and when done drain and cool in ice water. Drain again and season with EVOO and salt.
Boil the potatoes in their skins then peel, cut into cubes and fry in a pan with EVOO, an unpeeled and crushed garlic clove and a pinch of Cervia salt.
Skin and clean the monkfish, removing the white film with a sharp knife, eliminating the central bone and creating two fillets. Emerge the fillets in cold carbonated water for 2-3 minutes then dry them well. Rub the fillets with EVOO, season with ground allspice and cut them in half to make four fillets.
Roll each monkfish fillet in bacon, heat a non-stick pan with EVOO, a crushed garlic clove, the thyme and sage sprigs and brown the wrapped fillets on every side. Douse the fillets with a ladle of fish fumet, lower the heat and cook for 6-7 minutes to allow the liquid to fully evaporate.
(If you have a thermostatic oven you can seal-wrap the fish fillets and cook them bain-marie at 54°C for 20 minutes. After they have cooled by 3°, dry them and wrap them in the bacon and brown in a non-stick pan with EVOO, aromatic herbs and crushed garlic).
Serve the fish accompanied by the green beans and spoon some of the flavored oil used for cooking on top.
*Allspice is also known as Jamaica pimenta or myrtle pepper and is the dried, unripe fruit of the Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to Jamaica and neighboring islands. Although it resembles pepper when dried and ground, it has a sweet aroma that recalls a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Wine to pair:
(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Appius 2013 San Michele Appiano
For the second time, Hans Terzer yearned to produce the wine of his dreams: premium-quality grapes which best express the vintage. In this wine, one of the most important varieties of the St. Michael-Eppan winery plays the main role: Sauvignon, accompanied by Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Appius 2013 steals the show with its elegance fusing with the complexity of ripe fruit and minerality that is creamy to the touch. This inviting cuvée promises fantastic flavours even after many years.
Production area: selected vineyards located in Eppan; exposure Southeast/Southwest, soil limestone gravel and moraine. Training system is Guyot.
Grape varieties: Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
Winemaking: Fully ripe grapes, low yield guaranteed by 25-to-35-year-old vines and meticulous work in the vineyards and at the winery: these are the ingredients that set this extraordinary cuvée apart. Fermentation, partly malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees in barriques-tonneaux. Assembly is carried out nearly one year later, followed by another three years of maturation and refinement in stainless steel tanks.
Alcoholic Content: 14%
Serving Temperature: 8-10° C
